E-Bangladesh

Our heartfelt congratulations to everyone involved in this mammoth initiative. A solid contribution indeed; one of the decisive early steps that would take us a long way towards justice for 1971. As said, it is a “continuing and collaborative” project. So in the end it is up to all of us to make sure that this archive excels. Let us all support this initiative with everything we have. Let us all make sure that this archive becomes the first point of credible reference for any research on 1971 genocide in Bangladesh. Let us fill every page of this site with stories of courage and sacrifice of our martyrs and freedom fighters. Let us fill the pages with evidence of war crimes and with details of the criminals who perpetrated them against our nation. This is a sacred burden for our generation we all must share with pride, dignity and resolve.

Here is the link: http://www.genocidebangladesh.org

If you are reading this post and is outraged enough by the war crimes that have been perpetrated against our people 37 years ago, if you are one of them who always felt frustrated for not being able to do anything about it–here is your chance to do something:

• Circulate the link to everyone you know;
• If you own a website or a blog, then please create a link on your site pointing to the archive;
• Find materials on 1971, on atrocities, on war crimes and send them to the archive administrators for consideration. Do not just assume that the archive administrators might have the materials already.

We do not know whether we would see the war criminals tried in our lifetime, but we surely can try to make this website one of the highest ranking ones on Bangladesh. We surely can do something to ensure that the evidences of misdeeds dangle on the face of all the Razakars and their offsprings whenever they Google the word “Bangladesh”.

If you are wondering why I was not blogging last couple of month as frequently as before, I confess now I was engaged in a mammoth project.

It all started after the much discussed denial - Jamaat-e-Islami’s leader Ali Ahsan Muzahid’s statement that “Jamaat did not work against the Liberation War in 1971 and there are no war criminals in the country.” Soon other apologists joined the procession of denials terming the war of liberation as a civil war. Even scholars like Sharmila Bose tried to deny a lot of thing with faulty research.

Some fellow bloggers notably Mashuqur Rahman and Tasneem Khalil stressed that we need a proper archive to tackle these issues. Since I was reading and compiling a list of all available content on liberation war since long, I came forward to gather contents for an archive. I started work in December 2007 and it was a learning experience for me to study and revisit our glorious history of liberation.

I have listed in this archive the International newspaper clippings, events, documentations, audio, video, images, media reports and eyewitness accounts of the 1971 Genocide in Bangladesh all with workable links to judge the truth for yourself. I have compiled views of Pakistanis, Indians, US Government with articles, documents and provided many rare known facts. I am not an historian nor I am here to distort the history. But I hope this archive will help the seekers of truth. For an example you can refute Jamaat’s statement from the facts in this page (in Bangla) alone.

As I wrote in the about section of the Bangladesh Genocide Archive:

“The plot is so huge that no one person can tell the story. Many books were written, video footage was taken and words are passed from generation to generation. But due to lack of information in one place and platform many truth were distorted. The struggle for Bangladesh’s liberation and the efforts of the Pakistani army to cull the resistance resulted in one of the worst genocide in the World history. This was interpreted in many different ways. To many Bengalis it was a struggle for liberation, to many Pakistanis a armed rebel to be quashed, to the US govt. Pakistan’s internal affair. However it was in the US the peace loving people arranged the first ever aid concert for the people of Bangladesh.

Politicians tried to bank on these in the past and will be doing this in the future. The new generation is baffled as text books were rewritten to instill superiority of the visionaries of the political governments over rivals. People are forgetting that it was a mass effort and prompting to disrespect the catalysts and the father of nation, who was the inspiration.

That is why this site is born.”

Actually its a repository of all the information available online listed in one place. From here you will be able to navigate to the original contents in their original locations. I will try to include all valid viewpoints with authenticated sources and let the readers/viewers be the judge.

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[Dhaka Correspondent]

All the 326 passengers and the crew of a Saudia Airlines plane were evacuated unhurt as an engine of the Boeing airliner caught fire shortly after it landed in Dhaka Tuesday, civil aviation officials said. 

‘The third engine in the right wing of the plane catches fire soon after it landed in the Zia International Airport,’ said Shakeb Iqbal Khan Majlish, chairman of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh.  

An official of the Saudia Airlines also confirmed that a fire broke out in an engine of the Boeing 747 aircraft, which carried passengers from Medina city of Saudi Arabia and landed in Dhaka at around 2:10pm. 

Shakeb said all the 326 people including three children, 16 cabin crews and three cockpit crews of the flight SBA 810 were rescued from the plane through emergency exits without any injuries. 

‘Our air traffic control tower noticed smoke in the right wing of the plane soon after it touched the runway and informed the captain of the aircraft about it,’ said the CAAB chief. 

The captain informed that he had shut off the troubled engine. 

Following advice from the control tower, the captain later shut off all the four engines, he added. 

A fire-fighters’ team stationed at the airport and a team of Air Force doused the fire immediately and rescued the passengers safely. 

Shakeb said the CAAB had formed a four-member committee headed by its director (flight safety) Kamrul Islam to investigate the cause of the fire within seven working days.

They claim it never happened: one of the worst nightmares of human history. They claim monsters never existed: those who feasted on their own brother’s blood. Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, Shah Abdul Hannan and their comrades in Oxford or the Bangladesh Election Commission have their agendas to propagate revisionist rubbish: “No genocide,” “No war,” “No war criminal” from 1971. Digging through archives, Mashuqur Rahman compiled a video presentation on Bangladesh, 1971: genocide, rapes, war crimes, war criminals. As Shada Kalo puts it, our agenda: “I will not forget. I will not let you forget.”

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NBC News 1/7/1972: Dhaka University massacre. Video of Pakistani soldiers executing students, professors and workers at Dhaka University on March 26, 1971.

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CBS News 2/2/1972: Evidence of mass graves and widespread killing in Khulna. Approximately 100,000 people were killed in Khulna.

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NBC News 2/20/1972: Rape victims. Genocidal rapes of Bangladeshi women and girls during the Bangladesh Liberation War. The report interviews pregnant girls held at Pakistani army barracks and repeatedly raped. Some of the girls are as young as 13.

[An E-Bangladesh Reports]

The major political parties, including Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party were critical of chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed’s statement about the jurisdiction of the proposed Truth Commission regarding the top two politicians, Sheikh Hasina of Awami League and Khaleda Zia of BNP.

Awami League, Workers Party of Bangladesh, Communist Party of Bangladesh and Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal also raised question if there is any necessity of forming the commission at all. 

Fakhruddin Ahmed said in an interview, aired Saturday on Al Jazeera Television, that former prime ministers Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia would not be able to seek pardon from the proposed Truth Commission.

‘There is no necessity of forming the Truth Commission here,’ acting Awami League general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said Sunday. ‘It [commission] is like a “Kangaroo court” formed in a few countries to control special situations. Here in Bangladesh, political and social situations do not require such commission.’  

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[Dhaka Correspondent]

The interim administration would discuss unconditional release of two former prime ministers – Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia—now detained in graft charges as demanded by political parties, professionals and former lawmakers.

‘The demand is coming in, naturally to the government. The advisory council will discuss it. They will definitely look into the demand,’ Syed Fahim Munain, the press secretary to the chief adviser, told reporters after the weekly meeting of the advisory council on Sunday.

He was asked about the government’s position towards the demands seeking unconditional release of the two former premiers who had run the country between 1991 and 2006 by different quarters.

But the military-backed government of Fakhruddin Ahmed detained them as part of its anti-graft drive.

Both Awami League and BNP have been demanding unconditional release of their leaders, now staying in two houses, declared special jail, adjacent to parliament building, ever since they were detained

Sheikh Hasina, also the president of Awami League, was arrested on May 16, 2007 followed by the arrest of her arch political rival Khaleda Zia, the chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, on September 3, 2007.

Sheikh Hasina who held the office as the prime minister from 1996 to 2001 is implicated in two graft cases and three extortion charges while Khaleda Zia, the prime minister from 1991 to 1996 and 2001 and 2006, charged with three graft charges. Sheikh Hasina is facing trail one case while the rest of the charges are under investigation. All the cases filed against Khaleda Zia were still under investigation.

In a letter handed to the Chief Adviser’s Office on Sunday, the BNP formally asked the government to release all political leaders, including the Khaleda Zia and her family members before March 26, the Independence Day.

On March 12, the AL made almost similar demand in a letter to the chief adviser, asking the government for unconditional release of ailing Sheikh Hasina to ensure her proper medical treatment in US.

Hasina was allowed to undergo treatment at a private hospital in Dhaka.

A group of former lawmakers of the eighth parliament in a statement on Saturday requested the interim administration to release of all the two top leaders before the Independence and National Day.

On a question, the chief adviser’s press secretary said the government must see the demand as “you know letter has come from the BNP too, and the journalists also demanded the same”.

‘These will remain in a democratic process, and they (the council of advisers) will definitely look into the matters,’ the press secretary said adding that the further steps will be taken after that.

To a question on the chief adviser’s reported comment on non-eligibility of the two former premiers to a proposed Truth and Accountability Commission, the official spokesman said the proposed commission is not only for them.

The chief adviser told the media that anyone convicted may be non eligible to appear before the proposed commission, he said adding ‘The terms and conditions of the commission is yet to finalised.’

The chief adviser had said that those who are convicted by the law are not eligible to appear before the proposed commission, that does not necessary mean he mentioned conviction of the two leaders, said Fahim Munaim.

The chief advisers’ interview with an international media, Aljajeera, was aired on early Saturday.

[Dhaka Correspondent]

The Supreme Court Bar Association on Sunday vowed to start its scheduled two-day polls today defying the ban on the elections imposed by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police. 

Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s additional deputy commissioner Shamsunnahar issued the order on the bar association general secretary on Sunday asking the association to refrain from holding the elections. 

The order stated, ‘It has been known from different media and sources that the preparation of holding elections to the executive committee of the Supreme Court Bar Association is going on. According to the Emergency Powers Rules, prior permission of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner is required for holding such elections in the Dhaka metropolitan area. It is a violation of the Emergency Powers Rules. So, the SCBA authority is requested to refrain from holding the polls.’ 

Immediately after receiving the order, the bar association held an emergency meeting with its president M Amirul Islam in the chair and the meeting vowed to go ahead with its scheduled polls. 

The election committee of the bar also held a separate meeting with its convenor Nizamul Haque Nasim in the chair and resolved, ‘The elections will be held in time as scheduled.’ 

Nasim told  last night, ‘We will go ahead with the scheduled polls accordingly as the DMP has no authority to ban the elections to the SCBA.’ 

The SCBA sent a letter to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner informing him the decision of the bar association to hold the elections in scheduled time, SCBA president Amirul Islam told last night. 

‘If the SCBA election is thwarted, the judicial system of the country, its image and independence will be called into question, says the SCBA letter, signed by its general secretary AM Aminuddin. 

The letter also requested the DMP ‘not to infringe upon the independence’ of lawyers to exercise their voting right to elect their representatives. 

According to the constitution of the bar association, there is no need of taking any prior permission from any authority to hold its elections, stated letter. 

Holding elections is an internal affair of the bar association, the letter said adding, ‘as there will be no meeting, rally or procession during the electioneering, such election cannot be come under the purview of the Emergency Power Rules.’ 

Amirul told , ‘We discussed the issue with senior advocates of the Supreme Court and also the aspirant candidates and all have opined that there is no need to ake any permission for the polls.’ 

There are a number of precedence of holding elections to the bar during state of emergency and even martial laws in different times in the past including the Pakistani era without any prior permission, he mentioned. 

Holding elections in every year is a tradition of the bar and the tradition has never been broken even under the martial laws excepting in the last year, he said. 

The Annual election of the bar was first scheduled for March 28-29, 2007 and it had been postponed following a ban imposed by the DMP. 

When asked, a DMP high official told , ‘The bar association has been asked to refrain from holding the polls in order to avoid any untoward incident under the ongoing emergency.’ 

Asked about the bar associations decision to go ahead with the scheduled polls and the letter sent by the bar general secretary, the official said, ‘We decide the matter at a meeting today.’ 

Aminuddin sent the copies of the letter to different government high-ups including the law adviser and inspector general of police. 

Meanwhile, a total of 40 candidates for 14 posts are contesting the election. Candidates are seeking vote individually sans any panel. 

Six candidates are in the race for the post of president while seven vying for secretary. 

The president candidates are Barrister Shafique Ahmed, Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, AK Mujibur Rahman, Humayun Hossain Khan, M Sirajul Islam Khan and Saifur Reza. The secretary candidates are Abdullah Al-Mamun, AKM Bayezid, Zahirul Huq, M Badruddozza, M Nurul Islam Sujan Sheikh Awsafur Rahman Bulu and SM Abul Hossain. 

According to earlier announcement, voting starts at 10 am and continues till 5 pm with one-hour break at 1 pm each day. Some 1780 voters will exercise their franchise. 

At the emergency meeting of the bar, Amirul said, ‘May be the order has been issued due to ignorance of some people or some ones in the government may have issued the order in order to demean the popularity and image of the government.’

[Dhaka Correspondent]

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Sunday submitted a memorandum to chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, demanding release of party chairperson Khaleda Zia, her sons Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman and all ‘political detainees’ before the Independence Day on March 26.  

‘We demand that you use your good office to release all political detainees, including Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman, before the Independence and National Day,’ said the memorandum. 

BNP standing committee member RA Gani signed the two-page memorandum and acting office secretary Rizvi Ahmed carried it to the Chief Adviser’s Office.  

Senior leaders of the party and its front organisations decided on March 19 to submit the memorandum seeking release of ‘political prisoners.’  

Former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who had played an important role in restoring democracy and developing the country’s economy, has been detained for six months without any specific charge, said the memorandum. 

The authorities could not yet submit charge sheet or probe the allegations against her, it said.

‘She was put into jail on fabricated charges and thus her basic rights were curbed,’ the party said in the memo.  

It said, ‘It is regrettable and condemnable that a former prime minister of the country and her family members were subjected to inhuman harassment under a heinous conspiracy. The entire nation and important personalities abroad have protested and condemned the action against her.’ 

Rizvi told reporters that the party would decide the next course of action through discussion if Khaleda Zia, her sons and all detained political leaders are not set free before March 26.

s Jyoti Rahman pointed out, Naya Diganta was one of the few papers to carry the news about the torture report issued by HRW. I have already discussed certain aspects of the interrogations transcripts. Yet another that obviously caught my attention was the almost exclusive focus on India throughout. I don’t know if this was a solely a scare-tactic or whether the intelligence agencies really believe that one, and ONLY one country out there mean us any harm and everyone else is a সাধু. I sincerely hope it’s the former.

But even if it was a scare tactic, what enables this sort of tactic in the first place? A disproportionately large fear of India within our populace, stroked by the communally-charged elders, certain political forces, a parochial and outdated foreign policy (if one can call it that) community, and the media. Naya Diganta, while focusing on certain very worthwhile India-related stories, does run others that make it seem like a card-carrying member of this sort of baseless India-bashing group. Which ironically enables the very torture on suspicion that it has run a story about! Are these guys so dumb that they don’t see the irony?

At the risk of repetition: there is nothing wrong with a focus on India. My beef is with an exclusive, wrong-headed focus, not cool-headed analysis. I have previously described the latter attitude as that of a foreign-policy hawk, and the former as that of dodos. It seems that in Bangladeshi foreign policy circles, we have don’t have hawks and doves, but instead are blessed with do-nothings or dodos.

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Convention of Sector Commanders’ Forum, Photo:Banglar Chokh

[An E-Bangladesh Report]

Sector Commanders’ Forum have asked the government to immediately initiate process for trial of the hated war criminals, who perpetrated the history’s worst ever genocide during Bangladesh’s liberation war in 1971.

‘As the government itself realised that the trial of the war criminals should take place and people from different strata lauded their voices for the same, the demands for trial of the war criminals seemed very logical,’ Habibur Rahman, former chief of the 1996 caretaker administration, told a convention organised by the Sector Commanders’ Forum on Friday.

He expressed solidarity with the forum’s demand to form a war crime tribunal and an enquiry commission under the tribunal, which he believes would help get guideline from the United Nations and other international community to try war criminals in Bangladesh.

‘The government should take immediate initiatives to try the criminals,’ he said.

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